Inuyasha and Moriko- Under The Never Sky
by MorikoTheHalfAngel
Summary: Inuyasha, an Outsider, and Moriko, a Dweller, come together as allies to find the two people they lost that are closest to them. But soon, something catches up. Will they survive the pain and suffering under the never sky?
1. The Death Shop

Hey, peoples! I am a GENIUS! I am combining the Under the Never Sky series, the BEST SERIES OF BOOKS EVER!- with the best ANIME ever, Inuyasha! NEITHER STORIES ARE MINE-sadly- Inuyasha goes to Rumiko Takahashi and Under the Never Sky goes to Veronica Rossi. I decided to combine these series because HOLY SHIT! INUYASHA IS JUST LIKE PEREGRINE! I mean, SERIOUSLY! The story lines are almost EXACTLY THE SAME! They hate each other at first, then they become allies, I mean, come on, what can be more awesome?! I made this story almost exactly the same as the original, but there are MANY differences. Like tense, characters, and what happens. Also, point of views.

Inuyasha is Peregrine. Moriko is Aria. Ayame is Paisley (Which is perfect because they both have red hair). Caleb is Kohaku. Soren, Bane, and Echo are themselves.

* * *

Chapter 1- Moriko

The Death Shop

They call the world beyond the walls of Reverie 'the Death Shop'. A million ways to die out there, in the open. I never thought that I could get so close.

I bite my lip as I stare at the heavy steal door in front of me, reading in red AGRICULTURE 6_NO ENTRY.

_Ag. 6 is just a service dome. _I assure myself. _Dozens of domes supply food, water, oxygen- all the things our enclosed city, Reverie, needs._

Ag. 6 had been damaged by a recent Aether storm. Supposedly, the damage is minor. Supposedly...

"Maybe we should head back," Ayame says. She stands beside me in the airlock chamber, twisting a stand of her long, fire red hair. She starts to twist her hair in nervous, even swirls.

The three boys stay crouched at the control board next to the door, jamming the signal so we can leave the airlock chamber without triggering the alarm. I try to ignore the boys' loud bickering.

"Come on, Ayame. What's the worst that could happen?"

I say it as a joke, but my voice comes out high and strained, so I followed the words with a mildly hysterical laugh.

"Ugh, what could happen in a _damaged dome_?" Ayame holds up her slender fingers, counting them off one by one, naming off a couple of possibilities. "Our skin could rot off. We could get locked out. An Aether storm could turn us into human bacon, leaving the cannibals to eat us for breakfast!"

"It's just another section of Reverie, Aya." I point out.

"Yeah, an _off-limits_ part!"

"Aya, you know you don't have to go."

"Well, neither do you," Ayame glares at me accusingly, but she's wrong.

For the past five days, I've been worried about my mother, Lumina. Why hasn't she been in touch? Lumina has _never_ missed one of our daily visits, no matter how engrossed she was in her work. If I want answers, I need to get inside of that dome.

"For the hundredth- wait, thousandth- no, MILLIONTH time, Ag. 6 is totally safe," Soren tries to assure Ayame without turning away from the controls. "You think I wanna die tonight? Hell, I'm eighteen!"

I turn my head towards Ayame and whisper, "He has a point, you know."

Soren loves himself too much to risk his own life. My gaze rests on his muscled back. Soren is the son of Reverie's Director of Security. He has the kind of flesh that only comes with privilege, aka, the skin that no one has. He has a tan, a ridiculous upgrade, seeing that none of us have ever seen the sun. He also is a genius master mind when it comes to cracking codes. I have a slight tan. Lighter than Soren, but darker than any other person in Reverie. I don't know why, other than the fact that everything is genetics, so my mother must have chosen that especially for me. Not that I mind, anyway.

Bane and Echo watch at his side. The twins follow Soren everywhere. He usually has hundreds of followers, but that's only in the Realms. Tonight, just the five of us share the cramped airlock chamber. Just five of us breaking the law.

Soren straightens, flashing a cocky grin. "Gonna need to talk to my father about his security protocols."

"You got in?" I ask.

Soren shrugs. "Was there ever a doubt in your mind? Now for the best part. Time to turn off!"

"Wait!" Ayame grips my shoulder tightly, making me jump. "I thought you were just going to jam our Smarteyes!"

"I've been jamming them, but that won't last long enough. We need to turn off."

I brush my finger over my Smarteye. I've always worn the clear device over my left eye and it's always been on. The Eye takes us to the Realms, the virtual spaces where we spend most of our time. It's see-through, and you put it on like a contact. I've never known of anyone to take their Eye off, or turn it off. Hopefully, it's easy.

"Kohaku will kill us if we're not back soon," Ayame confides me.

I roll my eyes. "Your brother and his theme nights." I usually cruise the Realms with Ayame and her older brother, Kohaku, from our favorite spot in the 2nd Gen. Lounge. For the past month, Kohaku has planned our nights around themes. Tonight's theme, 'Feeding Friend-zies,' began in a Roman Realm where we'd feasted on roasted boar and lobster ragout. Boar, love! Lobster, not so much. After that, we'd cruised to a Minotaur feeding in a Mythology Realm. "I'm just glad we left before the piranhas." I laugh.

Thanks to my Smarteye, I kept daily visits with my mother, who does her research in Bliss, another Pod hundreds of miles away. The distance has never mattered... Until five days ago, when the link with Bliss was broken.

"How long are we staying out there?" I ask. _I only need a few minutes alone with Soren... Just... Long enough to ask him about Bliss.__  
_

A grin appears on Bane's face, his brunet hair combed short and perfect. "Long enough to party in the real!"

Echo pushes his long, shaggy hair out of his eyes. "Long enough to party in the flesh!"

Echo's actual name is Theo, but few people remember it. His nickname suits him too well.

"We can shut off for about an hour." Soren winks at me. "But don't worry, I'll turn you on later."

I make myself laugh, smoky and flirtatious. "You better." I wink back, but on the inside, I gag. He's okay, but not my type of guy at all.

Ayame shoots me a suspicious look. She doesn't know my plan. Something's happened to Bliss, and I know Soren can get the information from his father.

Soren shifts his thick shoulders like a boxer stepping into a ring. "Here we go, Glitches! Hold on to your pants. We're shutting off in THREE, TWO-"

A shrill ringing comes over from deep within my ears, startling me. A red wall crashes over my Smarteye, blurring my field of vision. Hot stabbing needles of pain shoot into my left eye and spread over my scalp, gathering then at the base of my skull, shooting down my spine and exploding through my limbs. I hear one of the boys swear stiffly with relief. Then, next thing I know, the red wall vanishes as quickly as it came.

I blink a few times, disoriented. All of the icons for my favorite Realms have disappeared. The only thing I see is everything other than my Smartscreen, the airlock door, dull and gray through the thin film. I look down at my outfit. Middle Gray. A shade that covers almost every single surface in Reverie. How can _gray_ seem less vibrant?

A sense of loneliness creeps over me, despite being in the crowded chamber. I can't believe people actually lived this way once! With _nothing_ but the real! Savages on the outside _still_ live this way.

"It worked!" Soren pumps his fist in the air, yelling a victory 'whoop'. "We're off! We're strictly meat!"

Bane hops up and down. "We're like the _Savages_!"

"We ARE Savages!" Echo yells. "We're Outsiders!"

Ayame keeps blinking over and over. I want to reassure her, but I lack the concentration with the boys blasting around in the small chamber.

Soren spins a manual release bar on the door. The chamber depressurizes with a quick hiss and a rush of cool air. I feel a hand wrap around mine, startling me. I look down to see Ayame's pale hand clasped to mine. In a second, I absorb the fact that I haven't touched a single person in months. Not ever since my mother left, then the door slowly slides open, revealing nothing but darkness.

"Freedom at last!" Soren clasps his hands, and then rubs them together. Soren steps into the darkness, with only the light of the airlock lighting a few feet. I can't see much, but I can see the floor covered in a layer of dust, leaving Soren's large footprints behind.

My thoughts start pegging my mind, filling me with doubt. _What if the dome isn't secure? What if Ag. 6 crawls with outside dangers? A million deaths in a Death Shop. Millions of diseases may be sweeping past the air on my cheeks. _

Inhaling suddenly feels like suicide.

I hear beeps from the keypad coming from Soren's direction. Rows of lights flash on with a series of deafening clicks. Farming rows stretch in even lines, reaching towards the end of the large, cavernous space. High above, pipes and beams crisscross the ceiling. No gaping holes. No signs of wreckage, either. With its soiled floors and solemn quiet, the dome simply looks neglected.

Soren jumps in front of the doorway, bracing the frame.

"Blame me if this turns out to be the greatest night of your life!"

* * *

The food grows from waist high plastic mounds. Row after row of decaying fruits and vegetables spread out around me in endless lines. Like everything in the Pod, they're genetically designed for efficiency. They have no leaves, and need no soil and little water to grow.

I pluck a withered peach, cringing at how easily I bruise the soft flesh. In the Realms, food still grows, or pretends to grow virtually, on farms with red barns and fields under sunny skies. I remember the latest Smarteye slogan, _Better Than Real_. It's true in this case. The real food in Ag. 6 looks like old people before we created aging-reversal treatments.

The boys spend their first ten minutes chasing each other down the aisles and leaping over the farming rows. That then turns into a game Soren dubs as 'Rotball', which consists of pegging one another with produce. I play for a while, then Soren starts aiming for me only, and he throws _hard_.

I take cover with Ayame, sneaking behind a row as Soren once again changes the game. He lines up Bane and Echo against the wall like a medieval execution and then fires grapefruits at the brothers, who just stand there laughing, the rotten fruit pelting them.

"No more citrus!" Bane yells. "We'll talk!"

Echo puts his hands up like Bane. "We give, Fruit Reaper! We'll talk!"

People always do what Soren wants. He has priority in all of the best Realms. He even has a Realm named after him called SOREN 18! Soren's father created it for his eighteenth birthday a month ago. Tilted Green Bottles played a special concert just for him. During the last song, the stadium flooded with seawater. Everyone transformed into mermaids and mermen. Even in the Realms, where anything is possible, that party had been spectacular! The party set off the underwater concert craze afterwards. My mermaid body was the most unique of all. Everyone chose the 'average' mermaid/man type of body and tail, the normal tails and the girls with seashell/starfish tops. I, on the other hand, had a silver, medieval type warrior top, and a long, vine covered tail, the tail fin having the form of a flower.

I rarely mesh with him after school hours. Soren rules the sports and combat Realms. Places where people can compete and be ranked. I normally keep to the art and music Realms with Ayame and Kohaku. Let's just say, I have a talent with singing sad, deep songs, and sketching.

I'm brought back by Ayame's annoyed voice.

"Look at this messy _thing_," Ayame says, rubbing at an orange smear on her pants. "It won't go away!"

"It's called a stain," I say.

"What's the point of stains?"

"There isn't any. That's why we don't have them in the Realms. There's no reason to have them." I study my best friend. Ayame wears a pinched expression, her brow overlapping the edge of her Smarteye. "Are you okay, Aya?"

Ayame waves her fingers in front of her Eye. "I hate this. Everything's, you know, _missing_. I mean, where is everything and everyone? And why do I sound so pseudo?"

"We all do. Like we swallowed megaphones."

Ayame lifts an eyebrow. "A mega-_what_?"

"You know, a megaphone. A cone people used before microphones to make their voices louder."

She rolls her eyes, sighing. "Sounds mega-regress," Ayame says. She scoots around to face me in front, squaring her shoulders. "Are you going to even tell me what's going on? Why are we with _Soren_ of all people?"

Now that we're off, I realize I can tell Ayame the reason of my flirting with him. "I need to find out about Lumina, okay? Soren might already know something. If not, he can find out from his father."

Ayame's face softens. "The link is probably just still down. You'll probably hear from her soon. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, or maybe even when we turn on our Smarteyes again!"

"Thanks, Aya, but the link has never been down for more than a couple hours. Never-_never_ for this long."

Ayame sighs, leaning back against the plastic mound across from me. "I couldn't believe my eyes, or my _ears, _I should say, when you sang to him the other night. I mean, you should've seen Kohaku! He thought you'd broken into your mother's medicines!" She giggles at the memory.

I smile. I usually keep my voice private, something strictly between my mother and I. But, a few nights ago, I had to _force_ myself to sing a sultry ballad to Soren in a Cabaret Realm. In minutes, that Realm had reached full capacity, with hundreds of people waiting to hear me sing again. I left. And just as I'd hoped, Soren's been chasing me ever since! When he proposed the idea for tonight, I jumped at the opportunity.

"I had to get him interested." I flick a seed off of my knee. "I'll talk to him once he calls off the games. Then, we'll high tail it out of here."

"Let's get him to stop now. We'll tell him we're bored... Which we are."

"No, Aya," I sigh. Soren isn't one to push anything. "I'll handle it."

Soren leaps on top of the farming row above me, making us jump. He's holding an avocado, his arm cocked back. His grays are covered in blotches of juice and pulp. "What's wrong with you two? Why are you just sitting there?"

"We're bored with Rotball," Ayame jumps in.

I wince. _Damn._ I wait for Soren's reaction, looking up at him, his body upside down from my view. He crosses his arms, his jaw clenching, then working side to side while staring down at us.

"Maybe you should leave then. Oh, wait! I almost forgot! You _can't_ leave! Guess you'll have to _stay_ bored, Ayame."

I glance at the airlock door. _When had he closed it?_

He has all of the codes to the door and for resetting our Smarteyes. "You can't trap us in here, Soren."

"Actions precede reactions, Moriko."

"What's that mean? What's he talking about?" Ayame asks.

"Soren! Get over here," Bane calls. "You need to come and see this!"

"Excuse me, ladies. I am need elsewhere."

He tosses the avocado into the air before jogging away. Me, being the idiot I am, catch it without thinking. It pops open in my hands, becoming a slick green mess.

"He means we're too late, Aya. He already locked us out. We're trapped."

* * *

I check the airlock door anyway. The panel doesn't respond. I stare at the red emergency switch. It's wired directly to the mainframe. If I flick it, Reverie Guardians would come to help us. But, we'd also be punished for breaking the law and have our privileges to the Realms blocked. If that happens, I'd lose all of my chances to speak with Soren about my mother.

"We'll stay a little longer. They'll have to get back sometime sooner or later."

Ayame pulls her hair over one shaky shoulder. "All right. But can I hold your hand again? It feels more like being in the Realms."

I stare at my best friend's extended hand. Ayame's fingers twitch slightly. I take her hand, fighting the urge to pull away as we walk to the far end of the dome. There, he boys step through a door I hadn't noticed. Another set of lights flash on.

_Did... Did my Smarteye reactivate? This looks... Just like a Realm..._

A forest looms in front of us, beautiful and green. I look up, wanting to see the sky, but I'm greeted with a pale ceiling ran through by a maze of pipes and lights.

_A... Terrarium..._

"I found it!" Bane says. "How champ am I?"

Echo jerks his head to the side, his hair shifting out of his eyes. "Champ, man! It's unreal! I mean, it's real. Zap, you know what I mean!"

Ayame and I look at Soren. "Perfect," he says, his gaze intent. He pulls off his shirt, tossing it aside, and runs into the woods. In the next moment, Bane and Echo follow.

"We're not going in, are we, Moriko?" Ayame asks.

"Well, not like that."

"Moriko, be serious."

"Aya, _look_ at this place!" I step forward, pulling her along with me. _Rotten fruit is one thing. A forest is a true temptation._ "We've _got_ to check it out!"

It's cooler and darker under the trees. I run my free hand over the trunks, feeling the rough textures. Pseudo bark in the Realms doesn't grip like it might bite into my skin. I crush a dry leaf in my palm, creating sharp crumbs. I stare at the patterns of leaves and branches above, my mouth agape in awe.

_If the boys would quiet down, I wonder if I might be able to hear the trees breathe..._

I keep track of Soren and the twins as we head deeper into the woods, searching for an opening... An opportunity to speak to him. I attempt to ignore the moist warmth of Ayame's hand, failing... We've held hands before in the Realms, but it felt softer there, unlike the constricting grip I feel now.

The boys chase each other through the woods, carrying large sticks, holding them like spears. They have dirt on their faces and chests. They're pretending to be Savages, the ones who live on the outside.

"Soren!" I call as he darts past. He pauses, spear in hand, and _hisses_ at me! I jerk back in surprise. Soren laughs and runs off.

I start to follow the boys again when I feel a slight tug on my hand. Ayame pulls me back to her. "They're scaring me."

"I know. They're always massive scary."

"Not the boys. The _trees_. I-it's like they're going to fall on us any second now."

I look up. As weird and beautiful these woods feel, I haven't thought of that. "All right. We'll go wait by the airlock," I say, and we began to backtrack. A few minutes pass when we come across the clearing we just passed. I almost laugh at the irony.

_Of course, of all times, we're lost in the woods NOW._

I let go of Ayame's hand and rub my palms on my gray pants.

"We're going in circles, Ayame. Let's just wait here until the boys come back. Don't worry, Aya. This is still Reverie. See?" I point up through the leaves at the ceiling and regret it instantly. The lights above dim, flickering for a moment, and come back.

"Moriko..."

"Yeah, Aya?"

"Tell me that did _not_ just happen!" She squeaks. I shake my head.

"We're leaving. This was a stupid idea." _Is this the part of Ag. 6 that had taken damage?_

"Bane! Get your ass over here!" Yells Soren. I spin around, catching a glimpse of his tan torso jogging through the trees.

_This is my chance! I can talk to him now if I hurry... But if I leave Ayame here alone..._

Ayame gives me a shaky smile. "Moriko, go. Talk to him, but hurry back. Will you?"

I nod. "I promise."

* * *

Soren hoists a stack of branches into his arms as I saunter up to him.

"We're going to make fire," Soren looks at me with dark, feral eyes.

I freeze in place. "You're kidding. You're not really going to... Right?"

"We're Outsiders! Outsiders have fires."

"But we're still _inside_! You can't, Soren. This isn't a Realm!"

"Exactly! This is our chance to see the real thing!"

"Soren, it's _forbidden_." Fire in the Realms is a rippling orange and yellow light that gives off a gentle warmth. But I know from years of Pod safety drills that real fire must be different. "You could contaminate our air! Or-or burn down _Reverie_-!"

I halt my words as Soren steps closer. Water beads on his forehead. It cuts clear trails through the now-dried mud on his face and chest. He's sweating.

_I've never seen sweat before..._

He leans in. "I can do anything I want in here. _Anything_."

"I know you can, Soren. We all can. Right?"

Soren pauses. "Yeah... Right."

_This is it. My opening. I need to choose my words carefully._

"You know things, don't you? Like the codes that got us here... And things that only your father should know... Things that _we're_ NOT supposed to know?"

"Of course I do." He smirks.

I smile seductively and slip around the branches in his arms. _Gag..._

I roll up onto my toes, inviting him down to a whisper. "Well, tell me a secret. Tell me something we're not supposed to know, Soren."

"Like what?"

The lights flicker again. My heart lurches in my chest. "Tell me... Tell me what's going on with some of the Pods... Like Bliss, perhaps." I make my best attempt to sound casual.

Soren steps back. He shakes his head slowly, narrowing his eyes.

_Dang. He knows what I'm up to._

"You want to know about your mother, don't you? Is that why you came here? Is that why you _sang_ to me? You've been _playing_ me?!"

I can't lie anymore. "Just tell me why the link is still down. I need to know if she's okay."

Soren's gaze drops to my mouth. "I might let you persuade me later," He growls. _Growls_. Then he stretches his shoulders back, lifting the branches higher. "Right now, I'm discovering _fire_."

* * *

I hurry back to the clearing, searching for Ayame. I find Bane and Echo there, along with a well-enough terrified Ayame. The brothers were building up a pile of branches and leaves at the center. Ayame rushes over as soon as she sees me.

"They've been doing this since you left! They're trying to make fire! Moriko, I'm scared!"

"I know, Aya. Let's go, now!" _Six thousand people live in Reverie. I can't let Soren risk everyone's lives!_

I hear a clatter of sticks falling just before something strikes my shoulder. I cry out as Soren spins me around to face his wild eyes.

"No one's leaving. I thought I made that clear."

I stare at the hand on my shoulder, my legs quaking beneath me. "Let go, Soren. We're not getting involved in this."

"_Too late_!" His fingers dig into my shoulder. I gasp at the shock wave of pain running through me. Bane drops the large branch he was dragging and looks over. Echo stops midstride, his eyes wide, wild. The lights above shine off their skin.

_They're sweating, too._

"If you leave now," Soren's eyes bore into me. "I'll tell my father this was _your_ idea. With our Smarteyes shut off, it's your word against mine. Who do you think my father'll believe?"

"You- you're insane..."

Soren let's go of my now aching shoulder. "Shut up and sit down." He grins. "And enjoy the show."

I sit with Ayame at the edge of the tree line and fight the urge to rub my throbbing shoulder. In the Realms, falling off a horse or spraining an ankle hurt. Even being stabbed hurts. But pain is just an effect to sprinkle in the boost of thrill. We can't truly get hurt in the Realms. This feels different. Like there is no limit to pain... Like it could go on forever.

Bane and Echo make one trip after another into the woods, bringing back armfuls of branches, twigs, and leaves. Soren directs them to place more here and there, sweat dripping off his muddy, tan nose. I glance at Ayame eyeing the lights. I look at them, too.

_At least they're holding steady._

I shake my head, ashamed. _I can't believe I let myself and Ayame get into this mess! I knew going into Ag. 6 meant risk, but I hadn't expected this. _

I've never wanted to be apart of Soren's clique, anyway, even though he's always been interested in me. Honestly, I like looking for the fissures in his image. The way he watches people when they laugh, like he doesn't understand laughter. The way he curls his upper lip after he says something he thought clever. The way he glances at me occasionally, like he knows I'm not convinced.

I don't like-like him, but I now realize what had intrigued me. Through those fissures, I've seen glimpses of someone else. Out here, without any adults watching, he's free to be _himself_.

"I'm going to get us out of here." I whisper.

Tears pool in Ayame's bare eye. "Shh! He'll hear you and hurt you again!"

I notice the brittle crackle of the leaves beneath us. _When have the trees last been watered?_ I watch as the pile grows one foot high, then two, three. Finally, with the pile nearly at four feet, Soren declares it ready.

He reaches into his boot and brings out a battery pack and some wire, handing them to Bane.

_What?! He PLANNED this?!_

"You _planned_ this? You came here to make _fire_?!"

Soren smiles at me, his lip curling. "I've got other things in mind, too, after this."

I suck in a breath. _He has to be kidding. He's just trying to scare me because I led him on, but I had no choice!_

The boys huddle together as Soren mutters, "Try it like this," and "Other end, stupid," and "Just let me do it!" until they all jump back, away from the flame that flickers up from the leaves.

"Of, zap!" They cry in perfect unison. "Fire!"

* * *

I hope ya'll LOVED it! R&R! :)


	2. Death in the Dome

Chapter 2- Moriko

Death in the Dome

_Magic._

The first thought that comes to my mind is that one word. _Magic_.

An old word, from a time when illusions sill mystified people. Before the Realms made magic common.

I move closer, drawn by the gold and amber tones in the flame. It changes its shape constantly. The smoke is richer than anything I've ever smelled. It tightens the skin along my arms. Then I see the burning leaves curling and blackening... And _disappearing_.

_This is wrong..._

I look up from the flames. Soren's frozen in place, his eyes wide. He looks bewitched, just as Ayame and the twins do. Like they're seeing the fire without really seeing it.

"That's enough!" I yell. "We need to turn it off... Or get water or something!" No one moves. "Soren, Bane, Echo, it's starting to spread!"

"Let's give it more wood."

"_More?!_ Trees are made of wood, too! It'll spread _into the trees_!"

Echo and Bane run off before I even finish speaking.

Ayame grabs my sleeve, pulling me away from the burning stack. "Moriko, stop or he'll hurt you again!"

"This whole place is gonna burn if we don't do something, Aya!"

I glance back to the fire. Soren stands too close to the fire, the flames reaching his 5' 6 1/2" height. The fire is making sounds now, pops and crackles over a dull roar. "Get sticks!" He yells at the twins. "The sticks make it stronger!"

_I don't know what to do! _

I should stop them, but as soon as the thought reaches my brain, the ache in my shoulder flares, warning me of what'll happen again if I do. Echo and Bane run up with armfuls of branches. They throw them onto the fire, sending sparks into the trees. A surge of hot air blows past my cheeks.

"We're going to run, Ayame," I whisper. "Ready... _Go_!" For the third time tonight, I grasp Ayame's hand.

_I can't let Ayame fall behind._ I weave through the trees, my legs churning as I try to keep us on a straight course. I didn't realize the boys were chasing us until I hear Soren yell behind us.

"Find them! Spread out! When we find them, we'll play a game much more fun than Rotball!"

I hear a loud wailing sound that brings me to a halt. Howling.

Soren's howling like a wolf. Ayame's free hand clamps over her mouth, stifling a sob. Bane and Echo join in, filling the woods with wild, keening cries.

_What's happening to them?!_

I break into a run, tugging Ayame so hard she stumbles.

"Come on, Ayame! We're getting close!" _We have to be near the farming dome entrance! When we reach it, I'll trigger the alarm. We'll hide until Guardians come._

The lights flicker again... And don't come back. Darkness slams into me like something solid. I go rigid. Ayame rams into my back and cries out. We stumble to the ground, blinded, crashing down onto sharp leaves. I scramble up, blinking hard to orient myself. Either way, eyes open or shut, I see nothing but black.

Ayame's fingers flutter over my face. "Moriko! Is it you?"

"Yes, it's me," I whisper. "Quiet or they'll hear us!"

"Bring a torch!" Soren yells. "Get some fire so we can see! We need to find them NOW!"

"Are they going to kill us?" Ayame asks.

"I don't know, but I won't let them get near enough for us to find out."

Ayame tenses at my side. "Moriko... Do you see that?"

I do. A blaze waves dimly in the distance. I recognize the solid tromp in Soren's stride.

_Farther than expected, but that doesn't matter. Ayame and I can't move without crawling and feeling in front of us. Even if we did know where to go, moving a couple of feet won't help._

A second flame appears.

I grope the forest floor around me for a rock or stick. Leaves disintegrate in my hands. I smother a cough into my gray sleeve, every breath I take scorching my lungs. I was worried about Soren and the fire. Now, the smoke poses the most dangerous threat.

Torches bob across the darkness, drawing closer.

_I wish Mother never left. I wish I never sang to Soren!- but wishing isn't going to get me anywhere... There has to be something I can do!_

I turn my focus inward. _Maybe I can reset my Smarteye and call for help._

I reach for commands like I've always done. Even in my mind, I'm only fumbling in the dark. _How can I possibly restart something that was never even turned off?!_

My concentration fails me, seeing torches closing in, fire burning brighter and louder, and feeling Ayame quivering. _I have no other hope._

Finally, I feel a tap in the depths of my brain. A word appears on my Smartscreen, bright and blue contrasting the dark fire red of the forest.

RESTART?

_Yes! Restart!_

I tense as hot nails drag across my skull and down my spine. I gasp in relief as icons appear... But everything looks strange. Everything's generic and in the wrong places.

_What's that?_

I spot a message icon on my screen labeled 'Songbird', my mom's nickname for me.

_She- she sent me a message! It's stored locally, it won't help me now. I need to reach someone!_

I try to contact Lumina directly. CONNECTION_FAILURE_007 flashes on my screen. I try Kohaku, Tsuki, Kanna, Keichii; all ending with failure. _I'm no longer linked to the Realms._

In a final, desperate attempt, I check to see if my Eye is recording.

_Review._

Ayame's face appears in the playback square on the upper left of my Smartscreen. Ayame's face is hardly visible, just the contours of her horrified face and a glint of fire catching her Smarteye. Behind her, a glowing mass of smoke etches closer.

"They're coming!" Ayame frantically whispers. Then the recording ends. I command it to record again.

_Whatever happens, I'll have proof!_

The lights flash back on. I squint at in the brightness, spotting Soren and the brothers scanning the area.

_Searching... Like a pack of wolves, almost._

Their eyes flare as they spot their prey. Us... I jump to my feet, pulling Ayame up once more. I run, holding on tight to Ayame, tripping over roots and running through hair-snagging branches. The boys' shouts are loud, rumbling, and deafening against my ears. Their feet pound behind us.

Ayame's hands are torn from my grip. I spin and fall to the ground, shrieking at the minor shock. Ayame's firey locks splay out over the leaves. She reaches for me crying out, Soren lying half on top of her, his burly arms constricting her legs.

Before I even think, I slam my foot into Soren's jaw. He grunts and falls back, giving Ayame the chance to twist away, but he lunges for her again.

"Leave her alone!" I step towards him, but I don't realize that he's ready for me. His hands shoots out, gripping my ankle.

"Run, Ayame!"

I struggle to free my foot, but he won't let go! He's rises to his feet and grabs my forearm, leaves sticking to his face and chest. Behind him, smoke rolls in through the trees, blocking the tree trunks. I look down. Soren's hand is twice the size of mine, and rounded with muscle like the rest of his tan, body.

"Can't you feel it, Moriko? Do you feel it?"

I glare at him, fear etching through my body. "Feel _what_?!"

"This." He squeezes my arm, grinning when he hears my scream. "Everything." His eyes dart around without settling on anything.

"Soren... Please... Stop..."

Bane runs up, holding a torch and panting, out of breath.

"Bane! Help!" I cry. He doesn't even make a glance.

"Go get Ayame." Soren commands, and Bane runs off. "Just you and me now, Moriko..." He runs his hand through my golden waves.

"Don't _touch me_, Soren! I'm recording _all_ of this! If you do anything, everyone in Reverie will have the chance to see it!"

I feel the ground beneath me before my brain has the chance to process what just happened. His weight crushes me, driving the air out of my lungs. He glares at me as I gasp, struggling for a breath. His focus moves to my left eye.

_No... No! He's... He's going to-!_

My arms trapped, I scream as his finger dig into eye, prying out the Smarteye. In pain, and in pure gut reaction, my head snaps forward and slams back against the ground.

_Pain! So... So much pain! It hurts! It's-it's like my head's being torn off._

Above me, Soren's face is red and bleary. Warmth spreads down my cheek and pools into my ear, along with cold, salty tears. The pain starts to lessen, becoming pulses in time with my heart.

"You're... Crazy..." Someone with my voice slurs.

Soren's hands wrap themselves around my neck, gripping with so much strength I can't even choke out a scream. "This is _real_, Moriko! Come on! Tell me! Tell me you _feel_ it! _TELL ME_!" He thrashes my head back and forth.

_I can't breathe! I can't! It hurts... _

Pain shoots into my eye again. My vision starts going black, powering off.

_Like my Smarteye- I'm shutting off._

Soren looks up- away from me- and loosens his grip. "Damn." He curses, and his crushing weight lifts.

I push myself to my knees, gritting my teeth at the piercing shriek in my ears.

_I can't see. Why'd he stop?_

I wipe my eyes to clear the red and brown murkiness, my legs quaking as I rise to my feet. Framed against roaring, red flames, a stranger steps into the clearing. He's shirtless, but it's obvious he isn't Bane or Echo.

_A Savage..._

The Outsider's torso is dark, tanner than Soren's, his hair as long as mine, near my middle back, a midnight black. Tattoos coil around his strong arms. He's... Tall... And he has the reflective eyes of an animal... Golden orbs with small green specks, almost glowing in the small light of the fire. They're bare.

A machete-type looking knife glistens at his side as he races forward.

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I HOPE YA'LL LOVED IT! More to come!


	3. The Girl

OH- VERONICA ROSSI AND RUMIKO TAKAHASHI! I LOVE YOOUUU FOR CREATING BOTH OF THESE WONDERFUL SERIES! If that wasn't obvious, that was a disclaimer. HOPE YA LOVE IT! Also, I am grounded from the computer... So updates will be pretty far apart. Oh, and sorry for the delay. LET'S CARRY ON, SHALL WE?

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Chapter 3- Inuyasha

The Girl

She looks at me, blood running down her pale face. She takes a few steps, backing away from me, but I know she won't stay on her feet for another step.

_You can't take another step, not with pupils dilated like that._

She takes one more step away and her legs give out, bringing her down. Her face hits the dirt sideways, her golden waves sprawled out around her head.

The male stands behind the Dweller girl's limp, motionless body. He looks at me with his odd gray eyes, one normal and one with a clear device. The patch all Dwellers wear. The girl called him Soren.

"Outsider, how did you get in?"

My language, but harsher. Each syllable sharp edged with distinct consonants. I bring in a slow breath. The Dweller's temper hangs thickly in the clearing, despite the lung burning smoke. Blood-lust gives off a red scent, common to both man and beasts. **(A/N: Outsiders talk like we do, with our words smooth and linked together. Dwellers speak each word separately, almost like they're sounding out the words.)**

"Wait, I get it. You came when we did." Soren laughs. "You came after I disarmed the system."

My hand sweaty from heat, I spin my knife to get a fresh, cool grip. _Doesn't he see the fire closing in?_ "Leave or burn, Dweller."

Soren flinches at hearing my voice. Then he gives me a wolfish grin, showing snow white, square teeth. Just squares, with no canines. "You're actually real! I can't believe this even happening."

He steps forward without a sign of fear, as if he holds a knife instead of me. _I scent no fear on him..._

"If I could leave, Savage, I would have done it a _long_ time ago."

I stand a head taller, but Soren's bones are buried deep beneath heavy muscle, easily outweighing me. _I've never seen a person this large. We don't have enough food to grow this thick, unlike in here._

"You only approach your death, Mole." I threaten.

"Mole?" He laughs. "_Mole_, huh? That's inaccurate, _Savage_. Most of the Pod is above ground. Also, we don't die young. We don't get hurt, either. We can't even break anything. Bones. Nothing!" Soren looks down at the girl. He looks back at me and stops abruptly. _Too_ _fast_. His momentum rocks him up on his toes. _He changed his mind about something... Or is it his strategy?_

Soren's eyes flick past me. _Yup, strategy._

I draw in a breath. _The fire's heating up. I smell wood smoke and burning plastic. _

I inhale again and catch what I expected.

_There's a second one behind me._

I saw three males. Soren and two others. _Are they both sneaking up on me, or just one?_

I draw another breath. _I can't tell. The smoke's too dense._

Soren's gaze drops to my hand. "You good with a knife?" He smirks. "I bet you are."

I twirl my knife again. "Good enough."

"Have you ever killed someone? I bet you have, Savage."

_He's buying time._

"Never killed a Mole," I reply. "At least, not yet, Dweller."

Soren smiles. Then he surges forward. _The others are coming._

I spin and see only one, farther away than I expected. He runs with a metal bar in his hands. I throw my knife. The blade sails true and sinks deep into the Dweller's abdomen.

Soren thunders up behind me. I brace for the impact. The blow slams onto my right cheek. I fall forward and catch myself, doing a flip off of my hands. I straighten, now facing him. Soren charges me again. I wrap my arms around him as he blurs past. I push and lift, but Soren doesn't budge.

_This Mole's made of stone!_

Soren gives a shot to my kidney and I growl, waiting for the pain.

_Huh, that didn't hurt as much as it should've._

Soren hits me again. I laugh.

_Dweller doesn't know how to use his own strength._

I push away and throw the first punch. My fist smashes into the clear patch. Soren seizes up, his neck's veins standing out like vines. I don't wait. I throw the next punch, putting my full weight behind it. The bone in the Dweller's jaw snaps with a loud crack. Soren hits the ground hard, tucking in slow like a dying spider. Blood runs through his teeth and down his mouth. His jaw hangs to the side farther than it should, but he never breaks his eye contact with mine.

"Damn it." I mutter, stepping away. _This isn't what I wanted._ "I warned you, Mole."

The lights flicker off again. Smoke weaves through the trees in rolling waves of black, glowing with sparks of firelight. I run to the other Dweller to retrieve my knife. The male starts to cry when he sees me come near. Blood gurgles from his wound. I don't have the heart to look him in the eyes as I free my blade.

I walk back to the girl. Her hair fans around her head, golden, and shiny as a jewel. I spot her eyepiece resting on the leaves about a foot away from her shoulder.

I pick it up and prod it between my thumb and index finger.

_The skin feels cool. Velvety as a mushroom. It's dense, though. More than what I expected. Especially for looking so much like a jellyfish._

I slip it into my satchel. Then I hoist the girl over my shoulder and wrap my arm around her legs to keep her steady. I've carried _much _larger game than her.

Neither of my Senses are helping me. The smoke's grown too thick, cloaking any other smells and blocking my vision, disorienting me. There're no rises or galls in the earth to guide me, either. Only walls of smoke and flames surrounding me.

I move when the fire inhales. I stop when it exhales. Bursts of heat scorch my legs and arms. The smoke flows into my eyes and nose, forcing tears to form in my eyes, making it even harder to see. Moments later, I find a channel of clean air and run. The Dweller girl's head lolls against my back with no restraint.

I reach the dome wall and follow it. _There has to be a way out! This is taking longer than I hoped for._

Finally, I stumble upon the same door I came through before, and I step into the steel room. Every breath I take feels like embers kindling in my lungs.

I set the girl down and close the door. For a long while, all I can do is cough and pace until the pain behind my nose lets up.

_Dweller smoke is so different... It burns to the core of my nose and lungs._

I rub my eyes and look at my arm. A streak of blood and soot lies on my forearm. My bow and quiver rest against the wall I set them on earlier. The room's perfect lines clash with my bow's curve.

I wobble as I kneel down to look the Dweller girl over.

_Her eye's stopped bleeding._

I take a closer look at her face. _She's finely made._

Thin eyebrows, darker colored than her dirty blonde hair. Plump, pink lips, along with silky smooth skin.

_Gut's tellin' me we're close in age... But look at her skin! I can't be so sure._

I was watching her from my perch in a tree while she stared at the trees above her in wonder. I nearly didn't need my nose to know her temper. Every small emotion reflected off her face.

I brush her blonde hair away from her neck and lean in close.

_My nose is **way** too blunted by smoke, so this is the only_ way.

I draw in a breath. _Her scent isn't as pungent as the other Dweller's, but it's still off. Warm blood, and there's a rancy, decaying scent, too._

I inhale again, curious, but with her being unconscious, she can give off no temper.

_Should I bring her with me?... Well, Dwellers die on the outside. This room's her best chance to live._

I look back at the shut chamber door. _Meant to check on that red-head, too. No chance of that anymore._

I stand up. "You better live, little Mole," I head towards the second door. "After all I just risked for you."

I seal the door closed and step into another morphed chamber, crushed by an Aether strike. I duck through the crumbling corridor. The small way grows tighter, forcing me to crawl over warped debris. I push my bow and satchel ahead of me. I reach the end of the tunnel, and I welcome the fresh air into my singed lungs.

I continue to breathe in the cool air of night. Alarms break the silence, mute, at first, through the rubble, then blaring all around me.

_Feels like a drum in my chest. Better start running._

I loop the strap of my satchel and quiver over my shoulder, pick up my bow, and sprint through the cool predawn.

About an hour passes, the Dweller fortress only a small mound of a hill in the distance. I sit down to give my pounding skull a break. Morning's sun breaks the horizon, warmth already spreading over Shield Valley, a dry stretch of land that nearly reaches to my home, two days north. I hang my head down, taking deep breaths to calm my racing heart.

Smoke drenches my hair and skin. I scent it with every breath I take.

_Dweller smoke isn't like ours at all. It smells like chemicals and molten steel... And it burns my nose hotter than a fire would._

My cheek throbs, but nothing can compare to the core of pain behind my nose. My thighs twitch, still running from the alarms.

_It's bad enough I broke into the fortress. My brother'll cast me out for that alone. But I tangled with **Moles**. Probably killed one, too._

My tribe, the Tides, don't have any problems with Dwellers like other tribes do. _I have a feeling that I just changed that._

I reach for my satchel and rummage through its worn leather. My fingers brush something cool and velvety. I sigh in exasperation.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me." _Damn! I forgot to leave the girl's patch behind!_

I bring it out, observing it, letting it lie in my palm. It catches the Aether's blue light like a huge water droplet.

I heard the Moles as soon as I broke into the forested dome. Their laughs had echoed from the farming space. I crept over and watched them, ignoring the stun I felt from seeing so much food left to rot. I planned to leave after a couple of minutes, but I was curious about the girl. When Soren tore off the device, even if she was just a Mole, I couldn't stand by and watch.

I slip the eye patch back into my bag.

_I can sell it when the traders come this spring. Dweller gadgets fetch a high price. There are plenty of things my people need, especially Rin._

I dig deeper into the bag, past my shirt, vest, and water skin, then I find what I wanted.

The apple shines softly. I run my thumbs over it, tracing its smooth curves. I bagged it in the farming area. The one thing I thought to grab. I bring the apple to my nose, the sweet scent making my mouth water.

_It's a stupid gift... Not even why I broke in in the first place._

I put the apple back in the bag, stand up, and continue walking.

_And it's not nearly enough..._

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I apologize for the long wait! It'll be awhile for my next chapter, just an FYI. R&R! Fav&Follow, too! If you love it. :)


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